Karachi could experience a shortfall of about 100 million gallons of water per day after a major power outage at the Dhabeji pumping station disrupted one of its main supply lines, the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) said on Sunday.
KWSC reported that the outage took place in Phase 2 of the Dhabeji station, shutting down two pumps and damaging Line No. 5 of the distribution network.
A spokesperson for the utility said the power failure, which they attributed to K-Electric, may lead to a shortage of 100 MGD in the city. He added that repair teams are working urgently on the damaged pipeline near Thatta.
This is the second time in a few days that the Dhabeji station has been hit by a power breakdown. On the night of November 13, another outage caused a drop of 40 MGD in the city’s supply after a cable fault shut down two key pumps at the K-3 pump house.
K-Electric, however, issued a statement saying that alternative sources are currently providing power to the Dhabeji facility.
The company said water leaking from nearby pipelines is making it difficult for engineers to carry out repairs and is also damaging underground cables.
KE added that the issue of water seepage has been officially communicated to the concerned authorities.